1. Paddock can be a little bit crowded. We all know that. I can remember how Senna had difficulties gettin from his motorhome to the pit. Rossi the same. Montoya had some accident with some journo. Things like that happen. I don't think somebody wanted to harm him intentionally.2. He's bitching about the direction of the sport annoys me a lot. If the factories would put enough bikes on the grid, CRT's won't exist. HRC used to put 7 bikes on the grid. You could won races with all of them. Now they have 4. Only 2 are capable of winning. Who was behind the 800 cc formula? Factories, especially HRC. Who was behind the fuel limit rules? MSMA (factories, especially HRC). Who was behind the demise of the Pons team and their sponsor? HRC. Which factory didn't want to continue to support the Robers team? HRC. Which factory is against the new cost cutting rules? HRC. Which factory was the employer of Mr. Stoner the last two years? HRC. So Mr. Stoner, you should go to your former employer and cry to them first. But I guess they paid your check for the 2 years so you remained silent. Not suprised...3. About Simoncelli. He says: "within a month it was like it never happened". I don't think Rossi and Edwards shares your opinion. Also there are memorials in Italy, different charity events, they named a circuit about him, 58 stickers and so on... When Pedrosa snubed Simoncelli handshake in Mugello, he didn't seem to be so concerned with Simoncelli. He even found it funny.

I don't know what to think about Stoner. He's a talented rider, but he's a confusing personality to try and figure out.

He's a wise fool, or at least aims to be. He starts from the position that all the racing politics, the backbiting Italians, the bullshitting riders, the voices of the long-retired, aren't worth any attention at all. His knowledge entirely consists of himself, his co-workers and his motorcycle. On these subjects he's a grand master.

As fans we can't really fault his premises. Mass marketability, political success and respect of elders mean nothing next to six consecutive wins at Phillip Island. He chooses to martyr himself for his motorcycle racing beliefs, hinting at some future time when the world will again be worthy of Casey Stoner.

But get him in an irritable frame of mind and present him with a microphone and he can't help himself. The world has a right to know the truth. That he's the greatest of all time, whatever bullshit the record books tell you. Retiring when he did, Stoner even managed to become a sort of honorary member of the 27 Club, the reputational safe harbour for rock stars who self-destructed before they had to get intimate with their own mortality.

When CS27 talks about the paddock moving on from Simoncelli within a month, you can hear more than a faint echo of his own self-doubts. By April the paddock brains will be talking about another spectacular, weird individual in Repsol leathers. And that disgraceful old clown who hasn't looked like winning a race for over two years will still dictate the headlines. As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods.

As fans we can't really fault his premises. Mass marketability, political success and respect of elders mean nothing next to six consecutive wins at Phillip Island. He chooses to martyr himself for his motorcycle racing beliefs, hinting at some future time when the world will again be worthy of Casey Stoner.

To be fair that disgraceful old clown won there 5 times in a row....

But get him in an irritable frame of mind and present him with a microphone and he can't help himself. The world has a right to know the truth. That he's the greatest of all time, whatever bullshit the record books tell you. Retiring when he did, Stoner even managed to become a sort of honorary member of the 27 Club, the reputational safe harbour for rock stars who self-destructed before they had to get intimate with their own mortality.

If he dies of a drug overdose or with a gun in his hand before next october then he can be classed as a member of club 27.....Surely the greatest of all time would have to have been capable of winning a title in the intermediate classes too?

When CS27 talks about the paddock moving on from Simoncelli within a month, you can hear more than a faint echo of his own self-doubts. By April the paddock brains will be talking about another spectacular, weird individual in Repsol leathers. And that disgraceful old clown who hasn't looked like winning a race for over two years will still dictate the headlines. As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods.

Or perhaps those who feel similarly prefer to hold their tongues and behave professionally, such as Ben Spies and Nicky Hayden.

Behaving professionally is not voicing how you feel? Sure, it may piss people off, so be it. I don't agree with everything he says, in fact I do disagree a lot. But the last thing motorsport needs are gagging orders for the sake of the guise of being 'professional'. Too much pretense is at stake for most people, it seems.

I think the tell in these stories is Colin Edwards, he doesn't shut his mouth for anything or anyone and I don't remember hearing anything like these claims from him.

I think Colin has a greater sense of discretion than others give him credit for. He says what he feels on a lot of topics, but never throws Yamaha under the bus for any reason, even when the equipment he gets is obsolete. I think he cultivates his image well, and carefully picks his battles. He learned after losing the Repsol Honda seat to Hayden, I think.

Spies could have trashed Yamaha like Stoner trashed Honda. He chose not too. When asked if he could understand Casey's position, he readily agreed that he did, but when leaving Yamaha made clear the reasons why, but also left the subject at that, and moved on to life with Ducati. That is significantly more professional than rehashing the same complaints ad nauseum, a la Stoner...

Stoner was lucky, he was fast and didn't hurt himself when he fell off. The only time he did, he retired.

As for the whining, I'm like many others, waiting to see him go off on one with the car racers.

Weren't you the one questioning whether arm pump was a real condition or not? I think you are.

I think Colin has a greater sense of discretion than others give him credit for. He says what he feels on a lot of topics, but never throws Yamaha under the bus for any reason, even when the equipment he gets is obsolete. I think he cultivates his image well, and carefully picks his battles. He learned after losing the Repsol Honda seat to Hayden, I think.

Spies could have trashed Yamaha like Stoner trashed Honda. He chose not too. When asked if he could understand Casey's position, he readily agreed that he did, but when leaving Yamaha made clear the reasons why, but also left the subject at that, and moved on to life with Ducati. That is significantly more professional than rehashing the same complaints ad nauseum, a la Stoner...

Was Edwards ever good enough to deserve the best equipment? I don't see how this compares to Stoner at all. Different riders, different circumstances here. And I could argue that Colin's potty-mouthed way of expressing himself isn't professional, but it seems he can get away with that?

Well, it's not like Spies wasn't completely awful last year either. What position would he be in to trash Yamaha when he himself was riding so poorly?

Weren't you the one questioning whether arm pump was a real condition or not? I think you are.

Was Edwards ever good enough to deserve the best equipment? I don't see how this compares to Stoner at all.

It compares directly. The issue is how you maintain and build relationships, particuarly with your employer. Colin has a loud personality, but does not criticize his employer. He enthusiastically uses his personality in their marketing efforts (see the mancation). After he won his last WSBK title he thought he should have had the Repsol Honda seat which went to Nicky Hayden. He complained that he had been kissing the wrong section of Honda's rear (the Japanese guys instead of American Honda). He learned and changed his approach when he went to Yamaha.

In contrast, Casey goes into great detail on the faults of just about everyone around him, including those building the bike. He still gets paid well, and is in demand for his speed. But will he get a push start out of a gravel trap because of the goodwill of others?

Or perhaps those who feel similarly prefer to hold their tongues and behave professionally, such as Ben Spies and Nicky Hayden.

Well, if they were to take the Stoner route, they'd be in WSBK right now. When you carry the cachet that Stoner carries, you can pretty much say whatever you want and still be in demand.

People are different, and Stoner is one of those guys who has a problem with every little thing. I don't think it's that he so much more honest than everybody else. Rather, I think he's just orders of magnitude more negative than the average person in the paddock.

Yep he was really going very well, winning the 250cc title in his first season and then all of a sudden he got a meltdown. I hope he does well there and maybe in the future he can get back to WSBK or something.